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Technology
Braille presents a challenge
Few packaging sectors require as much recourse to technology and expertise as the pharmaceutical industry. This is why the Körber Medipak Group, together with Rondo SA, offers specific concepts at each packaging stage – from development, through to delivery of the packs. Based in the Swiss region of Basel, Rondo also has subsidiaries in the Czech Republic and in the USA. It has 300 employees and a turnover of € 38 million, 90% of which is in the pharmaceutical industry and the remainder in foodstuffs and cosmetics. 40% of sales are exported to Europe, the USA, Canada and Puerto Rico. The quality of its standard or specialized packaging makes it an uncontested leader in the field. With ISO 9001:2000 certification, Rondo raises the bar of quality very high indeed.
A perfect association!
The European directive requiring the name and dosage of medicines to be carried in Braille on their packaging presented a challenge. Where and how should the Braille dots be placed? On the labels? But this is a costly and slow process! Printed? An additional and expensive process which increases run time! Embossed in the printing line? A costly solution since one embossing tool is needed per exposure and this increases printer setting times. Moreover, the quality is poor since there are no counterparts and, with blanks that have been embossed, the folder-gluer’s feeder performance can be affected.
Having acquired a great deal of know-how in Braille embossing (using Marburg Medium Braille) on pharmaceutical packaging, Rondo contacted its supplier of diecutters and folder-gluers, BOBST, to help come up with a solution. After giving it some thought, Bobst’s experts came to the same conclusion as Alfred Kälin, Rondo’s technical manager: the solution is to Braille emboss on the folder-gluer! A team from BOBST put all its expertise into the development of an original solution which became the ACCUBRAILLE module.
From left to right Alfred Kälin and Markus Staub
Consistency, readability and precision
The quality of the embossing carried out after the gluer feed process is so good that Rondo’s customers now want their cartons produced with ACCUBRAILLE! Discussions for the purchase of new machines are therefore underway, according to Markus Staub, the company’s CEO.
On the occasion of the presentation of this module during a symposium held last October at Rondo, which more than 40 customers attended, Alfred Kälin, made clear his conviction of its usefulness. He said, “It is difficult to obtain consistency of embossing height, readability, accuracy and profile clarity with a platen press. The ACCUBRAILLE module achieves this.” He specifically pointed out the quality and regularity of the height of the embossed dots (up to 0.24 mm). Mr Kälin also mentioned that an ACCUBRAILLE tool can emboss one million boxes. Another advantage is that it is flexible enough to allow the dots to be placed at 3 mm from a cut, folded or perforated edge, which is impossible with the other methods.
